The Brandy Crusta was perhaps the pinnacle of 1800s cocktailing. First created around 1840 or 1850, the Brandy Crusta modified the classic cocktail template -- spirit, sugar, water and bitters -- with some fresh lemon juice and a dash of orange liqueur. The result was a bright, easy-to-gulp cocktail that didn't shy away from its boozy backbone. The Brandy Crusta wasn't the first drink to utilize citrus and liqueur, but it's one of the few 1800s-era cocktails to do so and really stand the test of time. For that, Brandy Crusta, we salute you. As Brandy and Cognac cocktails have made a...

I love an Old Fashioned. It’s a delicious, classic, tried-and-true cocktail downed at bars since before “mixology” was even a term. While my go-to Old Fashioned includes the traditional choice -- rye whiskey -- I often sub in other spirits like aged rum or tequila, usually to good results. Of late I’ve been enjoying the merits of an Old Fashioned made with apple brandy. The simple Old Fashioned recipe of spirit, sugar, water and bitters works great with the apple brandy. But subbing real maple syrup for sugar takes this cocktail to another level. The rich maple flavors marry nicely with...

Germain-Robin Brandy is hand-distilled in small batches in California. Germain-Robin was started in the 1980s by Ansley Coale and Hubert Germain-Robin, who comes from a long line of cognac producers.  The company released its first brandy in 1987, and recently released two new products – Craft Method Brandy and Coast Road Reserve. Germain-Robin brandies are produced from premium varietals like Pinot Noir, unlike many brandies, which are distilled from thinner, cheaper varietals. Germain-Robin Craft Method Brandy Germain-Robin’s Craft Method Brandy is composed of five and 10 year old brandies. The grapes used in distillation are Colombard, Riesling and a bit of Zinfandel. ...

Ah Valentine’s Day, that special holiday when couples spend money and singles spend time alone.  Whichever boat you’re in this year, you might as well add a naked lady to the mix. Despite the name, the Naked Lady cocktail is actually somewhat classy, and an inexpensive Valentine’s date. It’s  an aperitif with elements of the aromatic (vermouth), the sweet (grenadine, apricot brandy) and the sour (lemon juice).  The result is a well-balanced cocktail with a name that’s sure to up your street cred, like when you tell your friends about your evening at home with five, maybe six naked ladies. Naked Lady 1.5 oz...

With Thanksgiving nearly upon us and a slew of other holidays on the horizon, it’s time to pull out cocktails that you don’t make any other time of the year.  Drinks with ingredients like pumpkin puree and vanilla liqueur are acceptable and downright tasty during the judgment-free holidays, when festiveness trumps sensibility. The below cocktail recipes utilize some seasonal flavors as families everywhere gear up for the holidays with a drink in hand. Pumpkin Egg Nog 1 1/2 ounces Appleton Estate Reserve Rum 1/2 ounce Navan vanilla liqueur 1 ounce egg nog 1 ounce pumpkin purée 4 dashes Angostura bitters 1 bar spoon real maple syrup Shake all ingredients...

The Singapore Sling was invented around 1910 by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at the Raffles Hotel’s Long Bar in Singapore.  And like many classic drinks, the recipe was lost decades ago, resulting in bartenders scrambling to make an interpretation of the original ever since. Because this recipe is often misrepresented by bars and in recipe books, most drinkers have never had the original Singapore Sling, regardless of what they ordered.  So to continue that trend, below is the cocktail currently served at the Raffles, per a recipe card published by Drinkboy. Based on memories of former bartenders and scattered notes thought...

Like so many good tiki drinks from the glory days of Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron and Don the Beachcomber, the Fogcutter dwindled into obscurity for decades.  But after its turn languishing in obscurity, this drink has again begun to appear on select cocktail menus across the country.  Or course, in true cocktail fashion, very few recipes are the same. The below recipes come from your friend and mine, Dr. Cocktail, and his book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.  This booze bible lists two recipes for the Fogcutter, with the earlier version of the two going something like this: Ingredients: 1/2 ounce orgeat 2 ounces...

Once every month cocktail fanatics band together to create a booze-soaked collection of recipes for Mixology Monday.  Our hosts for this month are the guys at eGullet, who chose “Dizzy Dairy” as the theme.  From Chris Amirault of eGullet – Any drink using a dairy product is fair game: milk, cream, eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt, curds, you name it. Given the importance of dairy products in drinks dating back centuries, there are lots of opportunities for digging through vintage receipts for a taste of the past, and as always innovation is highly encouraged. I've long enjoyed adding egg whites to cocktails as...